Entertainment
Student film debuts online “The Adventures of Mister Perfect” features an all-student cast and crew Kayla Rubenstein | Online Editor-in-Chief pl226461@ahschool.com
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or some, scribblings in a notebook remain thoughts jotted down. But for senior Bella Ramirez, these blurbs became the script to the student-run film “The Adventures of Mister Perfect and Friends.” Ramirez first began playing around with the character concepts in eighth grade, but decided to table the idea after realizing the magnitude of time and resources it would take to bring thoughts to reality. “[The movie] just sort of took a back burner. And I was like, oh, I’m not prepared. However, when MSD happened, it changed a lot for me. Life is really short,” Ramirez said. By Winter Break 2018, Ramirez finished the first draft of the script and spent the next six months casting, recruiting and rewriting the script. Ramirez finalized everything by June 2019, filming two weeks from the end of July going into August. During the pandemic, the crew worked on marketing and getting the word out, preparing for the premiere Jan. 4, 2021.
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I just decided; let’s do it.
Throughout the process, Ramirez learned how to manage herself and others. “I have to say the hardest part was kind of like being my own boss, because it was all student-produced,” Ramirez said. “I had so many other responsibilities, and things like texting over 30 people to make sure they’re getting their assignments in was hard on top of schoolwork
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and other projects and responsibilities. Keeping them accountable and then keeping myself accountable to release this and getting everything done was definitely really difficult.” Despite the challenge, Ramirez considers the familial environment one of the best parts of the project. “There are so many best parts, but I have to say my favorite is [that we became] like a family,” Ramirez said. “Before quarantine happened, when all the editing was getting done, we had a little party, and we had an ice skating event and a whole week of fun activities. Even after, we still check up on each other.” Ramirez acts in many roles, including director, producer, co-writer with senior John Eastep, co-editor and marketing manager. She also helped fund the movie, asking for donations instead of traditional gifts for her sixteenth birthday. “The Adventures of Mister Perfect and Friends” is more than a student production; it’s also a charity film, with proceeds going to Project Alive. “When I started working on the actual movie, the first thing that I w a s
thinking about was a synthesis superhero movie. I feel like it’s important to make it meta in the sense that if you’re watching it, you’re a superhero,” Ramirez said. “I’ve watched a million superhero movies. And I’m always sitting after like, ‘how can I be the hero, too?’ It was an important thing to do, making an immersive experience with the audience, where they become heroes by watching the movie.” The film board, Ramirez, Eastep, senior Irene Newman and alumni Jeremiah Bang and Brandon Woods, unanimously decided on donating any profits to Project Alive.
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It feels so good [to have the movie out]. I was really scared to release it just because it was so many years in the making, with all of our hard work and time and everything.
To watch the movie, check out tampaf.com.
IDEA TO REALITY: Ramirez first began writing the script in eighth grade, drawing inspiration from the people around her for the characters. (Photo submitted/Bella Ramirez)
(Design/Ellaheh “Ella” Gohari) Issue 3
